


Hanakotoba (Language of Flowers)

by Creme13rulee



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: 18OI AU Week 2019: Day 6: Shop AU, Baker Victor Nikiforov, Bakery, Florists, Fluff, M/M, Multi, Mute Katsuki Yuuri, Muteness, Mutual Pining, Strangers to Lovers, Victor is too gay to function, flirting with baked goods, florist yuuri katsuki, flower shop au, or notice, yuuri flirts through flowers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-07
Updated: 2019-06-10
Packaged: 2020-04-12 02:29:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,769
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19122745
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Creme13rulee/pseuds/Creme13rulee
Summary: When Viktor  moves in next door to Garden of Eden, he expects an old lady florist. Not an extremely attractive man with no voice but a smile to die for.  Even with limited conversation, Garden of Eden and Lutz&Loop Bakery start a sweet deal that leads to something more than blooms and bread.18OI AU Week 2019: Day 6: Shop AU





	1. Sweet Pea

**Author's Note:**

> Soooo I expect this to be longer, but not too long! I tried to do one shots for 18+ on ice!! Server event, but I moved houses today after working... and I don't have the time to slam it out to post in one day. ;_; I am sorry! I will finish it with the attention in deserves before the end of June!

Viktor smoothed his apron down again-- there was no real reason to wear it yet. Soft opening wasn’t until next week, and they had just finished the last touches on the interior. But it was best to keep appearances, and this would be the uniform Viktor would be wearing from now on. Thrill ran through him-- his own place-- his own bakery, uniform, menu and team. It already felt like home.

Viktor fidgeted with the gift basket again, rearranging the salmon pate piroshky to lay the opposite way, returning it to the first way he had done it. First impressions were important.

Viktor held his back straight as the bell to the front door of the florist-- his neighbor rang and announced his arrival. The shop seemed empty at first-- grey concrete floor covered with planters full of plants and greenery of all kind. More hung from the ceiling, and the walls were lined with freezers filled with glass vases of pre-arranged bouquets. But a head of black hair popped up from behind one grass-like bush. 

“Oh. Hello!” Viktor chirped, taken aback. He had expected an older lady with dirty hands. Not a slim, twenty-something Asian man with doe-like eyes and a smile sweet as honey.

The man waved, pulling a spiral-bound notepad from the pocket of his black apron. 

“How can I help you?” Viktor read from the pad, blinking. “Oh!, uh, well, I’m Viktor Nikiforov… the owner of Lutz & Loop next door…” Viktor held out the basket in his hands-- a loaf of bread, a savory and sweet piroshky, as well as a jar of his homemade currant jam. “I wanted to introduce myself… and offer these as a thank you and well wishes for future business together.”  
Viktor felt his cheeks grow pink as the man looked him up and down. He was beautiful-- effortlessly too. He probably didn’t brush his hair at all, nevertheless take the hour Viktor spent making his look perfect. His gentle smile widened, the florist taking the basket and holding up and finger and turning, disappearing into the back room among the bushes.

He returned with a paper-wrapped bundle of sweet peas, fragrant and delicately purple. The perfect accent for the front counter of Viktor’s shop.

The man handed the bouquet to a Viktor with a slight bow, their hands brushing just -so-. Enough that Viktor could feel how warm the man’s hands were-- Yuuri… His name was Yuuri. Viktor was stupid, but at least he could read the name on the chalkboard name tag pinned to his apron.

“Oh wow… thank you.” Viktor closed his eyes, drinking in the delicate scent of the flowers.

He missed the soft flush blooming on Yuuri’s cheeks.

Sweet peas -- “thank you for a lovely time”


	2. Lilac

Viktor fidgeted, trying to rearrange the grand opening banner one last time. He had half an hour until the store was officially open. The ovens had been on for hours, and he could smell the yeast and warmth from out on the sidewalk.

 

Viktor jumped at a light tap on his arm. He flushed, turning to find Yuuri, the florist from next door. In his hands he held a small pot of gardenias. Viktor’s heart beat fast at the kind smile on the mans face.

 

“For me?” Viktor asked tentatively, the gorgeous man holding out the terracotta plant with a plastic molded pick sticking out of the soil. “Good luck,” Viktor read, his cheeks warming. “Thank you. You really didn’t have to.”

 

Yuuri shrugged, curling in on himself. Silent.

 

“Do you-- can you talk?” Viktor blurted, feeling instantly ashamed. But Yuuri just shook his head, rooted to the spot. 

 

“Oh. Why?”  Viktor squeezed his eyes shut, kicking himself. “Sorry, you don’t--” His words dissolved on his tongue at the flip of paper.  Yuuri had already written an answer and held out his notepad.

 

‘Cancer.’

 

Viktor’s blood ran cold. “Oh. God. Are you okay?” Yuuri mercifully nodded, unperturbed by all of this. He scrawled an addition, writing ‘childhood’ in front of his earlier note.

 

“I’m glad.” Viktor said after reading the note. “Um.. do you have time to come in? I need someone to sample my new recipe that isn’t a biased employee.”

 

Yuuri flushed an adorable shade of pink, nodding slowly.

 

Viktor set the gardenias on the counter, pulling on of the pans from the racks and plating the apple strudel muffin. Yuuri stayed in front of the counter, folding the edge of the notebook with his finger and smoothing it out.

 

Viktor watched him take the plate, break off a piece of the muffin and put it to his lips. Something curled in his stomach as he watched Yuuri’s lips and teeth, how his eyes closed, his mouth chewing before breaking into a bright smile.

 

Viktor needed more. It didn’t matter if it was good enough to sell out-- his recipes just needed to be good enough to bring that smile out.

 

~

 

It became an addiction-- Viktor visited Garden of Eden every morning he worked, bringing a treat on a white china plate.  Yuuri would be there, soil on his palms and brightness in his eyes. He never refused-- but he insisted that Viktor left with a page of notes on the treat and a bloom in his hands.

 

Yellow and white camellias. Pink roses. Yellow tulips. Viktor kept them in a vase in the back, a private collection for himself to treasure.

 

Several months after opening and Lutz & Loop was doing well. Viktor could stand early mornings because they often had Yuuri in it. Lunches had him too-- Yuuri had started with a latte and a croissant from Mila, before  Viktor joined him and they took turns bringing food for each other. Yuuri rarely cooked, always bringing take-out in flimsy styrofoam containers. It just made Viktor want to feed him better-- cooking borscht from scratch, folding pelmeni in his hands and thinking of Yuuri’s face when he put a spoon to his mouth.

 

Viktor often caught himself thinking of that-- whenever he had a spare moment. Like when he was covering the till for Mila, the lull in customers allowing him a moment to daydream. Until the front bell rang, the door opening. A plump woman walked in, her eyes and resting smile reminding Viktor instantly of the boy next door.

 

“Hello,” Viktor called, embarrassed at the timbre of his voice.

 

“Hello,” The woman answered,  voice warm and lilted with an accent. She walked up to the counter, peering into the case, pausing at the basket of purple lilacs.

 

She looked at the gardenias, humming thoughtfully.

 

“Can I help you?”

 

“Oh. Sorry.. Just… the flowers.”

 

Viktor couldn’t bring himself to credit the store next door, suddenly feeling possessive.

 

“Secret love… love at first sight…” The woman clearly struggled to find the english, her smile soft even as her brow crinkled.  “It’s nice meanings.”

 

“They’re gifts,” Viktor answered, not sure how to feel. 

 

“Good, good. My son, he works next door--”

 

“Yuuri--” Viktor gasped, and the woman smiled brightly. She nodded enthusiastically. 

 

“He’s very shy.. I was worried for him, moving all this way…” She hummed. “I wanted to get him a treat.”

 

Viktor caught himself before he rambled about Yuuri’s favorites-- or the green-tea shortbread inspired by Yuuri’s recent bout of homesickness.  “I have coffee cake, just out of the oven.”

 

The doorbell jingled again. Yuuri skidded to a stop, bouncing on his feet.

 

“Ah, Yuuri!” The woman cooed. “How did you find me?”

 

Yuuri’s cheeks burned bright. His hands patted his apron, searching for his ever-present notepad.

 

Hiroko’s smile faded. “Yuuri...I don’t like that notepad of yours.”

Viktor found himself prickling with anger. Yuuri’s eyes were downcast as his mother waved him over.  “What do you want?” Yuuri pointed listlessly.

 

“Yuuri,” Hiroko sighed.  “Please… I know you can,” Hiroko rested her hand on her sons arm.

 

“Everything is good,” Yuuri’s mouth moved-- his voice a breathy, barely there whisper, dissonant and strange to come from lips Viktor considered himself an expert of. 

A thrill ran up his spine-- Yuuri  could speak. He didn’t, but he did there, in front of Viktor. Something intimate. Yuuri’s cheeks burned red.

 

“This place is full of love.” Hiroko gently touched the petal of one of the flowers. “The… the hanakotoba.” Hiroko struggled to find the word in english. It was polite enough to consider Viktor in his conservation. To allow him to see this. She looked back at Viktor, a knowing smile sparking in his eyes.

 

Viktor saw it, but didn’t stare for long. He watched Yuuri-- his red cheeks, his avoidant gaze. How he crumpled the paper bag of muffins and cookies in his hands as they left.

 

Viktor ran back to the kitchen the moment Mila stepped through the front door.

 

His hand shook-- mixing chocolate cake from  memory. Beating together a stiff icing, before dividing out enough for an icing bag and softening the rest. He used the prepared bags to form blooms and leaves out of brightly colored icing. Those didn’t matter-- Viktor worked his feelings into the batter and the words that mattered the most.  He fretted as the cake cooled. He made another two batches of cookies, writing down another recipe idea inspired by Yuuri. He whipped a delicate meringue, folding in sugar until it was light as a whisper.

 

It was closing  by the time Viktor had finished. He set the cake into a box, sinking his teeth into another meringue cookie, letting the sugar melt on his tongue. He didn’t have time to be nervous, bursting outside the moment he saw Yuuri lock the back door of Garden of Eden.

 

“Yuuri!” Viktor called out, nearly dropping the cake box. He shoved it into Yuuri’s chest unceremoniously, taking him by surprise.  “Please. Open it.”

 

Yuuri folded the white cardboard, lifting the top, eyes widening at the brightly colored lilacs and camellias and gardenias framing the edge of the cake. Viktor watched his lips form around the words he had written on the cake, reading them carefully.

 

“Lyubov?” Yuuri asked, his voice so soft and light that Viktor only knew what he had said because he had written it.

 

“Love.” Viktor swallowed. “It says… I think I love you.” Viktor bounced on his feet, relishing the blush that crept on his cheeks.

 

Viktor couldn’t help grimacing at the sound of cardboard crushing, his heart beating a steady rushed rhythm as Yuuri tucked himself around him, hugging him tightly.

 

Viktor didn’t need any words. He understood completely, squeezing Yuuri back just as tightly, hoping he could communicate his feelings as well as Yuuri had.


End file.
